Tech-On: Sony demonstrated high-throughput holographic storage system. The system employs a CMOS sensor featuring a frame frequency of 1.5 kfps. The sensor been adopted to increase the data transfer rate at the time of playback. The pixel count is 512 x 512. The data transfer rate at the time of playback increases as the frame frequency of CMOS sensor that receives the reproduced signal light and converts it into an electric signal is enhanced.
Incidentally, Cypress demonstrates custom-made fast image sensor designs, including a sensor for holographic data storage.
Looks like fast sensors are becoming the new design frontier.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Backside Illuminated Sensors Inching Closer to Mass Market
E2V announced a new generation of high-sensitivity imaging sensors leveraging circuit layer transfer technology from Tracit Technologies, a new division of the Soitec Group. Combining e2v’s expertise with Tracit’s circuit layer transfer technology delivers back-illumination capability to medium volume markets. This technology produces a dramatic improvement in sensor sensitivity when compared to a standard front-illuminated sensor.
The sensor is intended for professional market applications. Also, E2V sees a great potential to use the similar solution in small-pixel CMOS sensors. It looks like the former Atmel image sensor group, aquired by E2V, is responsible for this technology development.
The sensor is intended for professional market applications. Also, E2V sees a great potential to use the similar solution in small-pixel CMOS sensors. It looks like the former Atmel image sensor group, aquired by E2V, is responsible for this technology development.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Alcor Micro Image Sensors Sales to Grow
Digitimes: After taking an over 77% stake at Taiwan Advanced Sensors in mid-April, Alcor Micro has an accumulated stake of 84.57% at the company. The Alcor Micro board of directors has approved a merger between the two parties with Alcor Micro to serve as the surviving company, to be effective on September 1.
Taiwan Advanced Sensors currently contributes about 5-10% of Alcor Micro's sales, equivalent to NT$10 million (US$300,752), said Alcor Micro company general manager Chi-Tung Chang. Alcor Micro anticipates a positive sales contribution should be seen in the fourth quarter, given that Alcor Micro has extended its presence in the web cam market, beyond its original controller business.
Taiwan Advanced Sensors currently contributes about 5-10% of Alcor Micro's sales, equivalent to NT$10 million (US$300,752), said Alcor Micro company general manager Chi-Tung Chang. Alcor Micro anticipates a positive sales contribution should be seen in the fourth quarter, given that Alcor Micro has extended its presence in the web cam market, beyond its original controller business.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Camera-Phone System Partitioning Issues
EDN publishes an article on camera-phone system partitioning considerations. The article discuss various ideas, like Micron's camera shake compensation:
“A high-end DSC may have several frame buffers for different functions,” says Sandor Barna, director of strategy and planning at Micron Technology’s imaging operation. “But without that kind of memory space, you have to use algorithms that make decisions based on statistics you’ve collected over a few previous frames.” Barna says that such algorithms can be ingenious. “For instance, with a frame buffer you can do quite sophisticated correction for camera shake. Without it, you can still monitor the data stream for motion and capture the image at an instant when the motion is least. Or, you can just recognize that camera shake is going to be an issue and increase the shutter speed.”
“Some OEMs just want to feed in power and clock and get back files,” says Michael de Luca, marketing manager at Kodak. “But some of that may just be immaturity in the market. In principle, there is probably a best partitioning for a given set of end-user needs, and it requires some involvement by the phone manufacturer.”
Still, there are some natural IP groupings. For instance, virtually everyone acknowledges that sensor manufacturers should perform corrective processing and data conversion to generate digital raw-pixel data because they know the peculiarities of their sensors. After that stage, things become complicated, however.
Tessera Director of Technical Strategy Christopher Aubuchon explains that there are many approaches to EDOF implementation, trading off lens complexity for computational demands for image quality. It is possible to end up with a very demanding lens design, large computational requirements, or seriously compromised image SNR. It is also possible to find a local optimum that matches the needs of a particular OEM.
“There is not much motivation for a high-end DSC or even high-end-handset manufacturer to eliminate mechanical focus,” admits Tessera’s vice president of corporate development, John Keating. “But in the midrange—feature phones, for example—where image quality is important but a very small module is equally important—there is fertile ground for this technology. In the long run, I think you will see EDOF penetrate some of the DSC market, as well.” Each of these markets may use a different lens design with a different image-reconstruction algorithm.
“A high-end DSC may have several frame buffers for different functions,” says Sandor Barna, director of strategy and planning at Micron Technology’s imaging operation. “But without that kind of memory space, you have to use algorithms that make decisions based on statistics you’ve collected over a few previous frames.” Barna says that such algorithms can be ingenious. “For instance, with a frame buffer you can do quite sophisticated correction for camera shake. Without it, you can still monitor the data stream for motion and capture the image at an instant when the motion is least. Or, you can just recognize that camera shake is going to be an issue and increase the shutter speed.”
“Some OEMs just want to feed in power and clock and get back files,” says Michael de Luca, marketing manager at Kodak. “But some of that may just be immaturity in the market. In principle, there is probably a best partitioning for a given set of end-user needs, and it requires some involvement by the phone manufacturer.”
Still, there are some natural IP groupings. For instance, virtually everyone acknowledges that sensor manufacturers should perform corrective processing and data conversion to generate digital raw-pixel data because they know the peculiarities of their sensors. After that stage, things become complicated, however.
Tessera Director of Technical Strategy Christopher Aubuchon explains that there are many approaches to EDOF implementation, trading off lens complexity for computational demands for image quality. It is possible to end up with a very demanding lens design, large computational requirements, or seriously compromised image SNR. It is also possible to find a local optimum that matches the needs of a particular OEM.
“There is not much motivation for a high-end DSC or even high-end-handset manufacturer to eliminate mechanical focus,” admits Tessera’s vice president of corporate development, John Keating. “But in the midrange—feature phones, for example—where image quality is important but a very small module is equally important—there is fertile ground for this technology. In the long run, I think you will see EDOF penetrate some of the DSC market, as well.” Each of these markets may use a different lens design with a different image-reconstruction algorithm.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Frontiers in Electronic Imaging Conference
European Optical Society Conference on Frontiers in Electronic Imaging has 3 sub-conferences on image sensors:
June 18, 2007: Application Specific Image Sensors
June 19, 2007: Single-Photon Imaging
June 19, 2007: High-Performance 3D Imaging
The conference is mainly devoted to niche applications image sensors, for those who might have interest in this. One exception is Sony's invited paper on high-end still image sensors.
June 18, 2007: Application Specific Image Sensors
June 19, 2007: Single-Photon Imaging
June 19, 2007: High-Performance 3D Imaging
The conference is mainly devoted to niche applications image sensors, for those who might have interest in this. One exception is Sony's invited paper on high-end still image sensors.
Fujifilm F30 CCD Reverse Engineering
Solid-State Technology devotes its recent Chip Forensics column to reverse engineering of legendary high-ISO Fujifilm 6.3MP Finepix F30.
FujiFilm MS3897A is a Super CCD HR VI, the 2006 version of the technology originally announced in 1999, with the pixel size reduced to 2.7µm. FujiFilm Microdevices manufactured the chip in its Sendai, Japan, fab, using a 0.35µm, two-metal, double-polysilicon process, using p-wells in an n-substrate.
FujiFilm MS3897A is a Super CCD HR VI, the 2006 version of the technology originally announced in 1999, with the pixel size reduced to 2.7µm. FujiFilm Microdevices manufactured the chip in its Sendai, Japan, fab, using a 0.35µm, two-metal, double-polysilicon process, using p-wells in an n-substrate.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
NHK Demos 8K by 4K HDTV Sensor
EETimes: Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) has developed a 33-million pixel CMOS image sensor to deliver "8K by 4K" video resolution, which Japan's largest broadcaster is promoting as Super Hi-Vision.
Super Hi-Vision images consists of about 33 million (7,680 by 4,320) pixels. NHK currently uses Super Hi-Vision cameras that employ four 8-megapixel CMOS sensors jointly developed with Micron Technology Inc. to produce 8K by 4K video, but a full-HD resolution image sensor was the first priority.
NHK researchers worked with an unnamed U.S. joint venture company to develop the image sensor and fabricate a prototype. During the demonstration, they used the image sensor to capture monochrome moving images with a 12-bit gray scale and progressive scanning.
"Pixel size was kept as large as possible for requirements such as sensitivity and dynamic range," a laboratory spokesman said, adding that the 3.8 sq. um pixel was almost the same size as the 8-megapixel image sensor.
12-bit image data was divided into 16 fragments for read out. The prototype currently operates at 30fps at 125 MHz. "If the image sensor operates fast enough, we will not need to use 16-channel parallel reading out," the spokesman added.
Super Hi-Vision images consists of about 33 million (7,680 by 4,320) pixels. NHK currently uses Super Hi-Vision cameras that employ four 8-megapixel CMOS sensors jointly developed with Micron Technology Inc. to produce 8K by 4K video, but a full-HD resolution image sensor was the first priority.
NHK researchers worked with an unnamed U.S. joint venture company to develop the image sensor and fabricate a prototype. During the demonstration, they used the image sensor to capture monochrome moving images with a 12-bit gray scale and progressive scanning.
"Pixel size was kept as large as possible for requirements such as sensitivity and dynamic range," a laboratory spokesman said, adding that the 3.8 sq. um pixel was almost the same size as the 8-megapixel image sensor.
12-bit image data was divided into 16 fragments for read out. The prototype currently operates at 30fps at 125 MHz. "If the image sensor operates fast enough, we will not need to use 16-channel parallel reading out," the spokesman added.
Omnivision Joins 1.75um Pixel Club
Yahoo: Omnivision announced the introduction of its new OmniPixel3 1.75um pixel technology. With this announcement Omnivision joins 1.75um pixel technology club, sort of. Other members of the club differ in the technology maturity: Micron and Samsung are in mass production, while ST is at the stage of technology declarations. Omnivision expects to launch its first product based on its OmniPixel3 architecture in Q3 2007.
The technical side of Omnivision's announcement is quite slim: The new pixel is based on 0.11um process. Omnivision improves the efficiency of the photodiode and optimizes the pixel design for high full-well capacity - just general statements, with no numbers supplied. Also the company is using a new low-noise pixel and column sense readout. OmniPixel3 architecture optimizes pixel symmetry to avoid color distortion. The up to 20% improvement in fill factor is reported.
The pixel DR is stated as 65db. Assuming the full well capacity be similar to Micron 7-8Ke, this translated to 4-5e of pixel noise. This is better than Samsung's 10e, but worse than Micron's 2.8e.
The dark currem is claimed to be 30e/s at unspecified temperature - useless number. Also Omnivision uses a new transfer gate design process and contact technologies that achieve lag-free operation and new color filter technology and zero-gap micro-lens technology.
Omnivision also announced that "the development of an even smaller 1.4 micron architecture already well underway."
The technical side of Omnivision's announcement is quite slim: The new pixel is based on 0.11um process. Omnivision improves the efficiency of the photodiode and optimizes the pixel design for high full-well capacity - just general statements, with no numbers supplied. Also the company is using a new low-noise pixel and column sense readout. OmniPixel3 architecture optimizes pixel symmetry to avoid color distortion. The up to 20% improvement in fill factor is reported.
The pixel DR is stated as 65db. Assuming the full well capacity be similar to Micron 7-8Ke, this translated to 4-5e of pixel noise. This is better than Samsung's 10e, but worse than Micron's 2.8e.
The dark currem is claimed to be 30e/s at unspecified temperature - useless number. Also Omnivision uses a new transfer gate design process and contact technologies that achieve lag-free operation and new color filter technology and zero-gap micro-lens technology.
Omnivision also announced that "the development of an even smaller 1.4 micron architecture already well underway."
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Kodak 5MP Sensor Plans
CNET reports that Kodak plans to release its own CMOS sensor in a Kodak camera and several Motorola cell phones by the end of the year. The new Kodak camera would have a Kodak-developed CMOS chip and be a 5MP camera, probably this one. It's not clear what is the sensor used in the camera-phone.
The Kodak CMOS camera will be released in time for the holiday season and the Motorola-Kodak camera phone with a Kodak CMOS chip will follow close behind.
"We're going to be abandoning the low-end of the digital camera business. As everyone knows, we're not making much money there. Now we have our own CMOS sensors, so you might see us going down in price because we can make money," said Kodak President Antonio Perez.
The Kodak CMOS camera will be released in time for the holiday season and the Motorola-Kodak camera phone with a Kodak CMOS chip will follow close behind.
"We're going to be abandoning the low-end of the digital camera business. As everyone knows, we're not making much money there. Now we have our own CMOS sensors, so you might see us going down in price because we can make money," said Kodak President Antonio Perez.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Tessera's Eyesquad vs Omnivision's Truefocus
For what it's worth, Bigger Fool Trading blogger Robin compares Tessera's Eyesquad with Omnivision's Truefocus AF technologies:
"My educated impression is EyeSquad is not as good as WFC(TrueFocus), their technology is based on Fresnel lens, image quality compromise will be the #1 concern , and they don't really have the track record as OVTI in image sensor business, the best they can show now is a VGA module, and at that resolution you don't really need digital autofocus."
The blog has quite a detailed Omnivision news coverage.
"My educated impression is EyeSquad is not as good as WFC(TrueFocus), their technology is based on Fresnel lens, image quality compromise will be the #1 concern , and they don't really have the track record as OVTI in image sensor business, the best they can show now is a VGA module, and at that resolution you don't really need digital autofocus."
The blog has quite a detailed Omnivision news coverage.
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